LOW POWER WIDE AREA NETWORK (LPWAN) AND INTERNET-OF-THINGS (IOT) APPLICATION FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING SYSTEM

Abstract

Implementation of Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) to enable Internet-of- Things (IoT) applications in an environmental monitoring system offers excellent connectivity, energy-efficient, and low deployment cost, making it an ideal alternative to the current wireless sensor network. However, environmental change conditions could disrupt the signal communication between nodes and cause signal loss. This research analyzes the reliability of the monitoring system to the changes of environmental conditions in terms of Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI), and Packet Delivery Ratio (PDR). Specifically, it investigates whether environmental factors such as temperature, relative humidity, and atmospheric pressure impact the performance of Long-Range (LoRa) signal communication. Firstly, to answer this question, a few experiments were conducted to determine the appropriate selection of hardware and software settings. This work encompasses the design and deployment of the BME280 sensor, Arduino Mega microcontroller, and the LoRa module as the transceivers. This development system was tested on its reliability and performance in delivering the data and assessing an extended range coverage with good signal quality.